Heartland Bank Blog

In making the announcement about the new partnership, Scott McComb, Heartland’s Chairman, President and CEO said, “Heartland Bank is proud to serve as a preferred banking partner of the Columbus Crew. The Crew organization and their fans represent a growing and desirable demographic for Heartland. These young and passionate consumers Dare to be Massive through their support of this outstanding local franchise. Heartland is pleased to be working with such a professional organization that believes in building strong local relationships.”

Scott Burton had the scare of a lifetime a few weeks ago. Not the kind of scare when a skeleton jumps out from behind a spider web at a haunted house. Not the creepy ghosts and goblins that wander through neighborhoods every Halloween. Nope, Scott Burton’s family business, Burton Metal Finishing, was on fire - and he was stuck inside.

William Shakespeare once said "A smile cures the wounding of a frown." Mark Twain later quipped "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." And an anonymous writer once wisely stated that "All people smile in the same language.” Do you think any of those authors considered what goes into making a great smile? Dentists, of course! Because behind a patient’s great smile is a great dentist who is professional, well-trained, gentle, kind and honest.

At the ripe old age of 19, Heartland customer Misty Gieczys knew she wanted to start her own business. She wasn’t sure what kind of business it would be, but she was confident that it would happen one day. After a two year stint as a dog trainer, she worked hard to become a certified groomer and fell in love with the trade. With the help of Heartland Bank, she opened Designer Paws Salon in Westerville and they just celebrated their grand opening.

Despite the partial federal government shutdown that began Tuesday, most federal financial regulators will continue normal operations because they are not funded by annual congressional appropriations.

The FDIC, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not be directly affected by the shutdown. The FDIC receives its funding from industry premiums and the Deposit Insurance Fund, the OCC from the fees it charges banks, and the CFPB from earnings from Federal Reserve operations. The Federal Reserve is funded by the interest it earns on its securities holdings. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operate as private companies even in conservatorship and are not affected.

The same does not go for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Housing Administration and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which are funded by congressional spending bills. The Los Angeles Times reported that the SEC and FHA are operating temporarily under previously authorized funding, while the CFTC plans to furlough 96 percent of its employees. Further, if the shutdown continues for several weeks, some rulemakings, such as a final Volcker Rule, might be delayed.

Perhaps the greatest potential impact of the shutdown on community banks and other financial institutions is lost economic growth. IHS Inc., a market research firm, estimates that the daily economic cost of a federal shutdown will start at $300 million a day and accelerate as it continues, Bloomberg News reported.

The federal government shut down Tuesday as Congress was unable to reach a budget deal to authorize discretionary spending for fiscal 2014. Negotiations continue.